March 16, 2015

No matter how much you may love cats, you’re likely still not thrilled to be woken up at three in the morning by feral cats serenading each other or fighting over a mate. More and more, though, Americans are looking for better ways to deal with the problem. Not only is the old-fashioned “capture and kill” mode of dealing with feral cats inhumane, it’s notoriously ineffective. Once the local cat population has been rounded up, a new group of cats moves in to fill the vacuum, and the cycle repeats itself.
The same goes for adoption: while some cats are socialized and fond of human company, others will never get over their mistrust. These “unadoptable” cats are often euthanized, leaving them to a fate no better than cats in areas with less humane polices. And even when cats have been successfully adopted, there’s still an ecological niche in your neighborhood that’s just waiting to be filled by more stray and feral cats.
This is where TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs come in. Feral cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, and vaccinated for rabies. Then they’re released back into the neighborhood. Often, a caretaker will work with community residents to provide safe and natural feline deterrents for areas where cats are a nuisance. They may even set up feeding stations and litter areas to direct cats’ attention to areas where they’ll be more welcome.
Despite the need for a caretaker to act as a community liaison, TNR programs are still more cost-effective than common alternatives. By creating and supporting a non-reproducing cat colony, fewer resources need to be devoted to catching members of a constantly-changing population. Instead, the existing cat population will defend its territory against intruders, while the colony size decreases over time as fewer and fewer kittens are born. And thanks to the lack of annoying mating behavior in neutered cats, there’s a marked decrease in calls to Animal Control.
Studies show that TNR programs lead to neighborhood cats that are quieter, less aggressive, and overall have better relationships with their human neighbors, while the cats themselves live healthier, longer lives. When both human and feline members of your community benefit, what’s not to love?

March 13, 2015

What is (TNR) Trap-Neuter-Return?TNR or Trap Neuter Return is widely accepted as the most successful method for reducing free roaming and feral cat populations in a given area. Feral cats can quickly populate an area creating a number of hazards for local community residents and wildlife alike. The cats compete for resources and generally have a poor quality of life due to fighting over food and shelter, and overpopulation.
TNR uses live harmless traps to capture the cats without harming them or causing them additional stress. The cats are then transported to a veterinary clinic where they are treated for medical issues, desexed and ear tipped. Some TNR programs also vaccinate cats while they are in the care of a veterinary medical professional to keep rates of feline infectious diseases to a minimum. Once they are awake and healthy, the cats are released back into their colony area.
The ear tip allows volunteers in the area to see immediately if a cat has been sterilized already to avoid bringing the same cat twice to a clinic. The cat can be released and the trap can be reset to hopefully catch a cat that has not been through the program.
Trap neuter return is more successful than trap and kill because simply removing the colony as a whole will allow new feral cats to move into the space, creating the same set of problems you were facing before. TNR allows cats to stay in their home colony area without reproducing and creating more kittens, thus keeping the population down.

February 19, 2015

Shelters are homes to many animals seeking their forever home. However, before animals are ever adopted out of the shelter adoptive parents should be offered a human education program offered by your shelter. This type of program can help new future pet parents be the best that they can be to their new furry soon to be pals. However, humane educations program should also be offered to schools to by shelters to help educate children at young ages about the equal rights all living creatures on this earth deserve.The Benefits of Shelters Offering Humane Education Programs
1. Humane education programs teach pet parents to care for their companions in a responsible manner.
2. The program can help people understand the consequences of being irresponsible when it comes to their pets.
3. Humane Education programs can encourage the value of all living things in people who need to develop a more humane nature towards living being.
4. The program can teach people how animals can be motivational tools to help teach others how to grow in life.
5. Helps teach people how to care for abused animals properly.
6. Can educate people on how to stop and prevent animal abuse from occurring.
7. Teaches people the services animals can provide to the ill and disabled.
8. Offering a humane education program can teach people how to be loving, caring and respectful to all creatures upon the planet.
9. Programs such as this can help teach people empathy as well as how to socialize with living beings in a proper manner.End Notes for the Benefits of Offering Humane Education Programs to People
The benefits of offering a humane education program are countless and necessary for developing pet owners and human beings, that are more kind, respectful and loving to all living creatures upon the planet. Without programs such as these, people who do not understand how to be towards other living beings could potentially develop a behavior that is cold and senseless towards other upon this planet.
In fact, people who never develop skills on how to be humane are more capable of developing abusive behaviors and becoming criminals. If offering humane education programs through shelters and at schools creates more humane human beings than these types of classes should not just be offered, but should be mandatory to help all humans develop a more humane nature so our planet can be a happier peaceful place to live upon.

February 17, 2015

Backyard breeding is a phrase used to describe human beings that breed animals in their backyards without a license to do so in order to earn a profit for them. This kind of breeding is not humane and causes pet overpopulation, which occurs from backyard breeders tossing unwanted animals they are unable to sell onto the streets. Educating others about backyard breeding can prevent the overpopulation of pets and help stop animals from being used in ways that are not humane. Animals are living beings that deserve proper respect, treatment and love as humans do.How can educating your community about backyard breeding help animals?
Educating your community on backyard breeding can help animals by stopping the overpopulation of pets on the street and in shelters. It can also help prevent animals from being euthanized for no reason. Speaking about backyard breeding to provide an education to others on the topic can help prevent it from even occurring as well as teach people what to do if they suspect someone is doing backyard breeding in their local neighborhood to meet their own selfish purposes.What should be done is backyard breeding is suspected?
Teaching people what to do about backyard breeding if it is suspected, is an outstanding way to catch and stop backyard breeders. If backyard breeding is suspected in your local area, it is wise to call animal patrol to help the animals being abused receive rescuing and eventually safety.
However, in some cases animals that are rescued from these situations have to be euthanized since they have serious behavioral or medicinal conditions that cannot be treated successfully in order for the animals to live healthy lives.What are signs of backyard breeders?
Teaching people the signs of backyard breeders can also help prevent it from occurring. Some of the signs are:
1. Sudden Puppy Mills Opening
2. “Free to Good Home” ads in Local Newspapers
3. Selling of Kittens or Puppies on the Side of the Road or in Parking Lots
4. Receiving an Overwhelming Amount of Liters in Your Shelter from the Same Person
5. Someone Earning a Living from Dog FightsEnd Notes for Educating the Community on Backyard Breeders
Educating your community through flyers and classes offered from a local shelter can help your community control and prevent backyard breeding from occurring. Without the knowledge of the topic, your community won’t be able to help stop this inhumane situation.

February 15, 2015

It is common these days to see more and more backyard breeding. This type of breeding causes puppy mills to exist and the population of animals on the streets and in shelters to grow. Putting a stop against backyard breeding is the only way to control these unnecessary situations for animals.What exactly is backyard breeding?
Backyard breeding is a term used to describe humans who breed animals without the legal license to do so. The reason it is done is to create animals, which can be sold off to earn and income, or to create an animal with a certain temperament for dog fighting purposes. However, when animals cannot be sold off they are released onto the streets or into the wild to make more room for the next rounds of backyard breeds.What kinds of animals are used in backyard breeding?Horses: All types of horse breeds are used in backyard breeding to create horses for slaughtering purposes. Backyard breeders that can turn out a lot of horse meat will sell it off in hopes of earning an extremely large sum of money for living purposes or continuing on with the breeding.Dogs: Pitbulls are some of the most common dogs breed with other dogs by backyard breeders to create pups with temperaments that are easy to train for fighting purposes. However, other dog breeds are used in backyard breeding as well just to create puppies, which can easily be sold off in puppy mills or the side of the street simply to make an income.Cats: All types of cats are used in backyard breeding to create kitten litters, which are sold off easily due to cuteness to earn some extra money. Most cats breed in backyards end up with all kinds of horrible health conditions and tend to be put onto the street if they cannot be sold off in time before the next breeding season begins.
Rabbits: All kinds of rabbits are breed often in backyards to produce tons of kit litters, which are sold off during the Easter holiday with ease, or for meat selling purposes.End Notes for Backyard Breeding
All animals desire respect and kindness, which means backyard-breeding needs to stop. If you know of backyard breeding going on, report it immediately to animal patrol and prevent more animals from becoming homeless, abused and used for other purposes other than sharing love.

February 8, 2015

Shelters are the home of the animals that need new homes. Keeping proper upkeep is essential to attracting new visitors, which could possibly end up being new adoptive parents to some of the animals in your facility. It is always wise to have an active plan in place to improve your shelter to be the best it can possibly be. If you are not sure what to put in your shelters action plan to help keep your shelter running in top notch the tips below will help get you started.
#1 Keep the Shelter Clean and Tidy
If your shelter appears rough on the outside and the inside it is time to make it clean and tidy so it appears well kept. This means putting fresh paint up on the walls, laying down new flooring when necessary, planting some flowers outdoors, creating a new shelter sign outdoors that is inviting and organizing clutter. It is also wise to replace pet beds, furniture and toys that are overly used to show that you do care for the pets in your shelter by providing them with all they need to stay happy and feel well loved during their stay there until their forever homes are found. This means keeping the doggie kennels clean too.
#2 Make Sure a Grooming Schedule is in Place
Keeping the animals at the shelter well groomed can help keep your shelter as being the best. Well-groomed animals have better chances at finding their forever home. This means having a grooming schedule in place that ensures all animals get pampers. The grooming plan should include baths, nail and claw clippings, haircuts when necessary and lots of brushing to capture loose hairs to prevent hairballs in cats.
#3 Always have a Passionate Staff
If your staff is lacking a passion for working at the shelter it is time to find a new staff that is happy being at the shelter and caring for the animals in away that they deserve. Having a happy friendly staff also ensure that possible adoptive pet parents feel welcome and free to ask questions about all the animals at your shelter, which could help increase the number of animals in your shelter being adopted. After all, it is the small things you do that keeps your shelter improving and being the best it can possibly be for the animals their in need of homes.

February 5, 2015

There are hundreds upon hundreds of animal shelters across the country. While big name animal shelters often get a great deal of notice, there are many shelters that continue to operate under the radar, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways for animal shelters to get noticed quickly, and we’ve collected 7 easy ways to do just that.
1. Use Social Media
Social media is a quick, easy and often free way to get your shelter noticed. Starting a Twitter feed and building a circle of followers can be great advertising for an animal shelter. Facebook and Instagram are great options, too.
2. Offer Promotions
Adoption promotions are a great way to boost adoption rates and garner attention for your animal shelter. Slashing adoption fees, offering special “dog days” and “cat days” can get the community off their couch and into the center.
3. Pick a Spokesdog
Several animal shelters have gained significant awareness by promoting their shelter with a spokesdog. An animal shelter in Milwaukee gained significant awareness by taking their spokesdog, Gracie, to iconic areas around the city and handing out informational packets to passersby.
4. Create Videos
YouTube is a great medium for animal shelters. Take videos of the day-to-day activities at the shelter. Social transparency is a huge theme in business in 2015, and It translates well to animal shelters, too. YouTube can also be integrated into Facebook and other social media sites with great ease.
5. Interact and Engage
Once you have your social media sites set, you’ll need to engage with your audiences. Ask questions, run “cutest pet” contests and offer interesting content. The goal is to get users to engage with your sites and share your content so you can garner more followers.
6. The Newspaper
While print media has largely fallen out of favor with many people, the medium is still a great place to advertise special animal shelter events. Many newspapers offer both print and digital ad campaigns.
7. Talk to the TV Stations
Local news stations often look for “feel good” segments, so keep in contact with producers. This can help you garner your 15 minutes of fame on local media outlets, which can lead to a huge influx of community member coming into the animal shelter.
Exposure can make or break an animal shelter. While many shelters operate with a limited budget, getting the name out there needn’t be

January 22, 2015

Animals are part of nature. Whichever way you chose to view it, they are part of us and they deserve to be shown affection. Today, very many animals stroll aimlessly on the streets, perhaps in search of a warm permanent place to call home. The good news is, with the contemporary animal adoption trend, many animal lovers are now turning to offsite adoption events to rescue these homeless animals. As charming as offsite adoption sounds, it’s a task that requires great planning and extra effort not to mention a sacrifice of your time. Nonetheless, it’s always worth giving it a shot. Here are some of the few things you should include in your worksheet before getting down to the actual offsite adoption process:1. A comprehensive list of all the volunteers to undertake the task with you- This will help you in keeping a good track of all the people you expect to show up and consequently come up with a way of supervising them depending on the number.2. Ensure you have all the necessary equipment you require for the task- These may include cages and crates among many others. This will assist in easing the transportation of the adopted animals.
3. A comprehensive breakdown of the offsite location- You want to have clear knowledge of the specific region you are going to commence your adoption procedure. Understand all, or at least the better part of, the routes and pathways or any other relevant site you are likely to find a homeless pet.4. A camera- This may sound too obvious but it’s always important to keep a good photography record of the offsite location and all the animals traced and successfully adopted from the site. This will play a significant role in convincing prospective adopters while choosing the pets they want to adopt.
Along with these important tips, it’s absolutely important to ask yourself some few questions before you decide to bring a new pet to your home, especially if you are a personal volunteer. Decide why you want a new pet and settle on adopting the one that best fits your taste and lifestyle. If you are under an organization working with volunteers to adopt homeless animals, keep a good track on the volunteers and this will help you reach out to them easily whenever need arises for such offsite adoption events.

January 21, 2015

Every year several animals are put to death in kill shelters simply due to overpopulation and not enough available loving homes for the unwanted animals. The only way to stop kill shelters from putting animals down is to stop the overpopulation of homeless cats and dogs. If your wondering what you can do to help stop pet over populations the tips below can assist.1. Offer donations to shelters and clinics to help spayed female cats and dogs that need it.2. Offer donations to veterinary clinics and shelters for male kittens and puppies that need neutering.3. Adopting a pet that needs a home can mean less animals on the streets, which means less unnecessary liters being produced.4. Becoming a foster parent for animals in shelters that are overloaded with animals can help provide more room in shelters to help get overpopulated pets off the streets and from producing more unneeded liters.5. Preventing pet overpopulation also begins with you making sure your own pets have been spayed or neutered.6. One of the ways vets can help stop the overpopulation of pets is by offer free spaying and neutering clinics to people who cannot afford to get their pets fixed, but wish to do so to prevent pet overpopulation.7. Animals that are abandoned on the streets need to be rescued and brought to shelters and clinics. The less cats and dogs on the streets the less liters occur and euthanasia.8. Providing more resources to help with the adoption and fostering process can help.9. Donating plenty of food, water, pet care products, bedding and toys to local animal shelters can help the shelters provide for more rescued or abandoned animals, which means a reduction in cat and dog populations.10. Opening your own non-profit shelter or rescue service can help get unwanted cats and dogs off the streets and from producing more liters.11. Volunteering at your local animal shelter can help reduce animal population. Sometimes all shelters need is some extra pairs of hands to help take in more animals.12. Preventing animal hoarding is a huge way to prevent animal overpopulation.13. Creating a non-profit safe drop off spot for unwanted pets can help drastically.14. Prevent the selling of fighting dogs. Once a dog is done fighting it’s put out onto the streets. A particular breed that is often used for fighting is the pitbull.15. Make sure stray cats and dogs are rescued by animal patrol.

January 16, 2015

Frostbite may not often be considered as a serious threat to animals, but this is absolutely a misconception. It is a very real and common threat in winter months, especially in colder climates. Animals showing signs of frostbite such as icy patches on the skin, extreme discoloration of body tissue or shivering are at serious risk and effective treatment should be administered as quickly as possible to avoid potential long-term injury.
First and foremost, professional medical assistance should be sought immediately. If an animal is showing signs of hypothermia or frostbite, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. In the meantime, there are a few steps you can take to avoid further damage, and possibly reduce lingering injuries.
Do
• Move the animal to a dry, warm place
• Wrap the animal in a dry blanket or towel, this helps raise its core temperature and also avoids self inflicted trauma such as gnawing and chewing
• Shield the animal from further exposure to cold temperatures, refreezing can be extremely dangerous, and will likely cause long-term damage
• Warm affected area using warm, not hot, water. Anything higher than one hundred and eight degrees fahrenheit can be dangerous. Be sure to dry thoroughly after administering water treatment
• Use a thermometer to monitor your pets core temperature. Once it reaches its normal reading, stop efforts to warm the pet and focus on maintaining proper temperature.
Do Not
• Rub or Massage the affected area in an attempt to warm the animal. The tissue here is likely to be brittle and weak and you may injure the pet. At the very least it would be exceptionally painful to the animal
• Administer pain medication of any kind unless expressly directed by your veterinarian. Most human painkillers are harmful, if not fatal, to animals
• Use any form of direct heat such as heating pads or blow dryers. these are too intense, and may present an issue.
As stated above, the number one priority here is to seek professional medical care, but by following these steps you can prevent further injury, and potentially neutralize fatal complications.